Speed-controller for steam-pumps.



P. R. PRESCOTT.

SPEED CONTROLLER FOR STEAM PUMPS.

APPLICATION mum MAY 13, 1910 RENEWED SEPT. s, 1911.

1,023,171. Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

2 sums-sum: 1.

v cOLyMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASH1NGTON. n. c.

P. R. PRESCOTT.

SPEED CONTROLLER FOR STEAM PUMPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1910. RENEWED $1121. a, 1911.

PERLEY R. PRESCOTT, OF WEST BERLIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SPEED-CONTROLLER FOR STEAM-PUMPS.

1,023,171. Specification of Letters Patent Patented Apr. 16, 1912. Application filed May 13, 1910, SeriaI No. 561,088. Renewed September 8, 1911. Serial No. 648,400.

To all whom it may concern: ing, 1 is the steam cylinder and 2 the valve Be it known that I, PERLEY R. PRESCOTT, chest mounted thereon. a citizen of the United States, residing at 3 represents the pump cylinder and 4, the West Berlin, in the county of Worcester piston rod which connects the piston head so and State of Massachusetts, have invented in the cylinder 1 and the piston head in new and useful Improvements in Speedthe cylinder 3. The cylinders 1 and 3 are Controllers for Steam-Pumps, of which the braced apart as is usual by a frame-work following is a specification. consisting of four bars 5 which are arranged My invention relates to speed controllers at each corner of the cylinder casings and e5,

and more particularly to speed controllers form with the piston a quincuncial arrangefor reciprocating steam pumps. Heretoment. The ordinary cross head 6 is secured fore it has been customary to control this to the piston 4: in a manner adapted to entype of pump by hand regulation of the gage the tappets 7 on the valve rod 8. EX- steam supply valve, or throttle so called. tending laterally from the underneath side 7o Or in some cases, by causing the crosshead of the cross head is a double rack frame 9 which operates the steam valve, to actuate having the racks 10 and 11 connected therea governor at the end of normal stroke. to in such a manner as to engage the spaced Both of these methods are faulty for the gears 12 and 13. These gears are mounted following reason. With hand operation the upon suitable drums 14 and 15 which are 75 pump needs constant attention of engineer keyed upon a transverse shaft 16 mounted Y or attendant, as any change in steam supin bearings 17 supported upon the frame ply pressure, or any change in head or rods 5. The gears 12 and 13 have seated in working pressure causes a corresponding suitable recesses formed in their bodies, change in speed. If pump should lose sprlng pressed pawls 18 which are adapted 8o suction, it is sure to race or run to engage notches 19 formed in the periphaway, which may cause great damage. cry of the drums 14 and 15 in such a man- In the drawings :Figure 1 is aside elener that one gear will rotate in one direc- Vation of an ordinary reciprocating steam tion and the pawl will engage the notches pump with my invention shown applied to rotate the shaft, while when operated in 85 thereto and with the parts in section. Fig. the opposite direction the pawl will slide 2 is a ctio al View t ke o th line 2 2 idly over the notches and have no effect upon of'Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the said shaft. It will be noticed from an in-' driven shaft with the ratchet drums therespection of Fig. 2 that the racks 10 and 11 on, and Fig. 4c is a section taken on the line are diagonally oifset so that they properly 9o 4l of Fig. 3. engage their respective separated gears and In the case of devices which operate at that in the left-hand movement of the pisnormal end of stroke, it is well known to ton rod 4, the gear 13 is rotated in a leftengineers, that direct acting pumps do not hand direction and the gear 12 is rotated always travel, same length of stroke, and in a right-hand direction while in a right- 95 40 with large pumps the manipulation of hand movement of the piston 4, the gear 12 cushion valves will change length of is rotated in a left-hand direction, and the stroke several inches. If Lunp becomes gear 13 rotated in a right-hand direction. steam or air bound it will short stroke For sake of convenience I have shown the that is operate with short strokes in center notches in the drums so arranged as to en- 10c of its travel. It is obvious from the foregage the pawls and rotate the shaft by the going, that either of the described methods action of the pawls 18 in the gear 12 when are insuificient for the purpose. said gear is operated by a left-hand move- It is the object of this invention to avoid ment of the piston 4 and the pawls in the and obviate all such difliculties and to cause gear 13 to operate the gear when the piston e 50 direct acting pumps to operate at desired is moved in a right-hand direction. It will piston speed, under any and all conditions, thus be seen that the shaft 16 is continuby continuously governing the admission of ously rotated. steam, or other fluid pressure, to valve In order to make the rotation of the shaft chest, irrespective of the length of piston 16 more even, I Provide a fly 71166120 Wh h 5 stroke thereof. is secured on its right-hand end, and adja- Referring more particularly to the drawcent the fly wheel is mounted a pulley 21 which connects with a pulley 22 on the counter governor shaft 23 by a belt 24. The counter shaft 23 is provided with a bevel gear on its outer end which engages the bevel gear 24 of the governor balls 25. The governor balls as usual are connected by a valve stem 26 to a valve 27 which controls the admission of steam through an inlet pipe 28 to the steam chest 2.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the invention it is believed will be clearly understood without further clescription.

Having thus described the invention, what 1s claimed 1s 1. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a steam pump piston, of a governor, a shaft belted to said governor, a plurality of oppositely acting gears mounted on said shaft, means controlled by the governor for admitting steam to the under sides of the respective gears to .alternately rotate the same in opposite directions to continuously rotate said shaft in one direction.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a steam pump, of a governor, a shaft connected with the governor for operating it, a plurality of oppositely acting gears mounted on said shaft, means controlled by the governor for admitting fluid pressure to the valve chest of the steam pump, and an arm carried by the crosshead of said steam pump and having a pair of diagonally ofiset rigidly connected rack bars arranged in engagement with the upper and lower sides of the respective gears to alternately rotate the same in opposite directions to continuously rotate said shaft in one direction.

3. In a direct acting reciprocating pump, the combination with the cylinder and piston, and a governor for controlling the admission of fluid pressure to the valve chest of the pump, of an arm reciprocatingwith the piston and having an upper and lower rack thereon out of vertical alinement with each other and rigidly connected, a shaft, a pair of gears rotatably mounted on said shaft, one meshing with one of said racks and the other with the other in all positions thereof, a pair of oppositely acting ratchet devices connecting said gears with the shaft, whereby the variable reciprocation of said rack will rotate said shaft constantly and uniformly in one direction, and means for connecting said shaft with the governor to operate the governor constantly in accordance with the rotation of said shaft.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PERLEY R. PRESCOTT. Witnesses:

J. L. MoAUsLAN, F. W. KING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. a 

